Lost Boy
by dontjudgemyusername
Summary: When Lucy's just about to give up on finding inspiration for her new story, a pink haired boy sparks her creativity flame again.


It was an unusually windy day. The flowers on the trees just started to bloom. Loose petals danced through the air, landing on the ground, in the pond, and managing to get stuck in people's hair. A blonde writer found a nice park bench to sit on as she did some daily writing. She used the people around her as inspiration for her stories when the flame in her mind started to die down.

Unfortunately, Lucy had spent the better half of the day sitting and waiting in vain. She was on the verge of giving up for the day, but something in her told her to keep going. Lucy watched people walk by her for a while longer before she started to feel like this had been a waste of time. She sighed and got up after grabbing her bag.

She walked around town, paying more attention to what was going on for once. There was a music festival on the other side of the park. She enjoyed the new atmosphere as she walked by. There were so many places Lucy hadn't been to, even though she had been living here for the past four years. The thought of sightseeing in her own town never appealed to her. When she first moved in, she immediately got a job that kept her busy most of the time. Gradually, she created a routine and she never thought about going out.

After wandering about for another two hours, Lucy wound up at a small café. Although the café itself was tiny, it was packed with people. Just looking at all the people made Lucy feel suffocated, but the café itself seemed inviting – as if it had a welcoming aura about it. Lucy was drawn in. She ordered a sandwich and found a table for two to sit at while she waited for her food. It was located right next to a window looking out on the busy street. She placed her elbow on the table and leaned her head on her hand. A small smile creeped onto her face, the usual expression Lucy had while people watching.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" A voice pulled Lucy out of her thoughts. She looked up and found a pink haired boy, about her age, grinning down at her. She shook her head and continued to look outside. The boy sat down across from her, not saying another word.

Lucy's food came, and the boy still hadn't said a word. He was watching everyone around him in wonder. The flame in Lucy's mind began to spark.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked before taking a bite into half of her sandwich. She was intrigued and planned to get as much out of him as possible.

The boy grinned. He had a hint of mischief in his eyes and a smile that could melt anyone's heart. He seemed so eager and ready to take on any challenge. "Nope. I'm a traveler. I've just been going from here to there, taking in everything I see."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Where are you from?"

The boy's sunny demeanor was replaced with a clouded expression. "To be honest, I don't think I remember anymore. I've been moving so much, I have no idea where 'home' is."

Lucy stopped eating. "You don't have a place to return to?" she asked surprised.

"Not that I can remember," he said, smiling again. The troubled look came and went so fast, it seemed like Lucy had imagined it.

She frowned. "Doesn't that bother you? Or at least make you feel sad? You don't have a place to call your own."

"Well, not really. I'm pretty used to not having a secure place." The boy shrugged. "I like traveling, I've never really had a chance to think about having a home."

Lucy slowly chewed her sandwich. "So do you sleep in hotels? I can imagine that would get expensive."

"I don't get hotel rooms." He turned to look outside. "I just sleep wherever I can." Lucy felt bad. She could hear in his voice that this boy didn't enjoy living like a hermit, but he enjoyed the culture of those around him. "But I really don't mind it." His bright smile returned to his face again as he turned back to Lucy.

Lucy put her sandwich down. "Well, tonight you'll be staying at my place."

The boy looked at her astonished. "Now why would you do that?"

"I just don't feel right letting you sleep on the streets. Plus-"

"You don't know a thing about me. How do you know I'm not a sociopathic killer out for blood? Or a thief? Or a wanted criminal? Or just a bad person?" The boy was extremely surprised at how trusting Lucy was.

She smiled. "I just know. I'm Lucy by the way." She wiped her hand on a napkin and held it out.

The boy grabbed it. "Name's Natsu."

Lucy showed Natsu around the town near her apartment. While playing tour guide, she picked up on small details about him, to which she would write down when she got the chance. At the end of the day, she headed back to her apartment with her new companion trailing behind her.

"So you've been here for a long time?" Natsu asked.

"I wouldn't say that four years is long," she replied over her shoulder.

Natsu stared at the cheerful blonde in awe. "It just blows my mind. Don't you ever get bored? Or want to leave?"

Lucy laughed. "I have my own little routine here. Go to work on the weekdays and do as I please on the weekends. I enjoy the normalcy."

"That sounds so…" Natsu jogged up next to her. "Boring."

"Well what you do sounds exhausting," she retorted. "How do you manage to deal with time changes and all that moving around?"

"I could show ya if you'd like." She turn to him surprised. He was wearing that grin he normally wore. The one that was full of life.

There was just something about him that Lucy was drawn to. Whether it was the fact that he was so different from her or how he was always energetic, something about him made her feel happier.

"Hey Lucy." Lucy hummed in response. "Why're you looking at me like that? It's making me feel uncomfortable."

Lucy smacked Natsu's arm. "I was just smiling, you idiot!" She walked faster towards her apartment leaving Natsu laughing behind her.

It had been seven months since Natsu and Lucy first met. Lucy had grown surprisingly attached to him. She never realized how much she craved the company of another since she met him. The writer was amazed by all his stories and the adventures he'd been on despite his young age. She secretly wished that Natsu would never leave her – and if he did, he would take her with him.

Natsu, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable. He wasn't used to saying in one place for so long, not doing something new each day. He wanted to move on, but something about Lucy made him want to stay as well. The days when Lucy would go to work, Natsu would choose one part of town to explore, but he was quickly running out of town. Occasionally, he managed to talk Lucy into taking the train to a nearby town to explore. It was a nice change for the both of them, yet Natsu felt antsy.

He remembered a conversation he was having with Lucy one day while coming back home on the train.

" _Hey Luce, I have a question." Lucy, who was looking out the window, looked at him from the corner of her eye. "How would you feel if I left?"_

 _Lucy sighed. She knew that this was bound to happen. "If you want to leave, then leave. I can't force you to stay here."_

 _Natsu looked at her surprised._

" _What?" she asked._

" _Nothing. I just thought you would put up more of an argument." He stared at her with the usual look of wonder he gave her. He knew how much she enjoyed having him around, so her reply shocked him._

" _The truth is Natsu, I love having you around. I don't want you to leave because I finally have a friend. You're always there when I need you, granted you live with me. But this isn't a life you're used to. I just wouldn't feel right if you wanted to leave and I kept you with me. I can't be selfish. So Natsu, if you want to leave, then just do it." Lucy turned back to the window. "I don't want an explanation or a departure date. That'll just make it harder for me to let you go. When you make up your mind, and if you choose to leave, please, don't hesitate because I don't want to change my mind about this."_

That was two weeks ago. Natsu smiled to himself. There was something about her that even when she was telling him to leave, he still wanted to stay with her. He hadn't made up his mind though. He thought he was ready to have a place he could call home, a place he could always return to. What he didn't realize was that coming home, required leaving first.

Natsu was sitting at the dining table anxiously waiting for her. When the door finally opened, he was ready to tell her that he was going to leave the next day. Lucy smiled at him and his stomach did flips. The second Natsu opened his mouth, he said all the wrong things.

"I think I'm in love with you…" He was staring at Lucy with the same expression of wonder he was wearing when she walked in.

Lucy's bag fell to the ground. "I-I'm not sure what to say."

They stared at each other quietly for what seemed like eternity before Natsu looked away. "Um, you know what. That was stupid. I didn't mean it." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and grinned downwards.

Lucy had never seen him so flustered before. The Natsu she knew was a strong, outgoing guy, who never let anything phase him. She took a seat across from him. "Natsu…We've only known each other for a few months. You're probably just thankful that I gave you a place to stay."

Natsu quickly look up. "No! Okay you're right, I'm not sure what this is, but I was supposed to leave a while back. Something kept me here and I realized that was you. Sure we haven't known each other that long, but you mean a lot to me. Lucy, you're the first person who actually got to know me, my first friend. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Maybe I do love you, maybe it's just gratefulness, but I just want you to know how I feel. Honestly, I was going to tell you that I need to leave tomorrow, but you make me want to stay here."

Lucy blushed. "I'm really glad that you feel that way, but Natsu, if you want to leave, then go. I meant what I said on the train, no speeches, no dates. Just promise me that you'll come back and visit every once in a while." She stood up. "Think about what you want to do." She headed to her bathroom to take a bath.

For the first time in long time, Lucy was genuinely happy. She had a friend! She wasn't alone. Yet she wanted him to go. She wanted him back out in the world, where he belonged. He was a wanderer and she knew that she shouldn't keep him caged in. Lucy realized that she had forced Natsu into a lifestyle he wasn't used to. She felt guilty for making him stay just for a book, but slowly her interests' shifted from the book to making a new friend. As she drew her bath, Lucy wondered what life without Natsu would be like.

Meanwhile, Natsu had to make a decision. He sat at the table and continued to ponder over his choices. When he heard the bath start to drain, he knew he had little time left to decide.

Lucy came out drying her hair with her towel. "Natsu, what do you want to eat tonight?" When Lucy got no response, her heart skipped a beat. She removed her towel from her head and found herself alone. The living room window was open and everything in his room was gone.

As she walked back out from his room disheartened, Lucy found a note on the dining table. She recognized Natsu's messy writing.

 _Luce,_

 _I had to leave. I don't know if you noticed, but I may have jumped out from the window and climbed down the tress outside. I couldn't face you…and I didn't want to leave the front door unlocked. I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave if I saw your tears and you said you didn't want a speech. I still felt like I owed you an explanation. I thought I was ready to settle down for a while, but I couldn't handle it. I feel suffocated and restrained. As happy as you make me, there's still a part of me that doesn't like this – living in one place, seeing the same things all the time, my body getting used to a certain rhythm._

Lucy figured as much. She knew that he felt uncomfortable. The time Natsu told her his thoughts on settling down flashed through her mind.

" _One day, when I'm too old to keep moving around, I'll find myself a nice girl and we can live in a nice home. Kinda like this one!"_

Lucy smiled and continued to read.

 _I thought I had everything figured out, but I don't. I don't know what I'll do in a few hours, let alone the next few years. I'm not like you and because of that, I don't what to get in your way. You have plans that I can't ever begin to imagine! You're such an inspiration for me, but I want you to reach all your dreams. I don't feel like it's the right time for me to be there for you. I'm still trying to figure out who I am. I'd rather leave now to figure myself out, than try to do that while helping you because I want to give you my all. Plus, we both have our whole lives to do what we want. Isn't it too early to start acting like grandparents?_

 _I kinda knew that this would happen when I first met you. I thought you were beautiful; it was no accident that I chose to sit at your table. This is extremely hard for me to do, but I'm not ready to be confined to four walls yet. Maybe one day. Maybe I'll be able to come back and you'll be waiting for me. Maybe you won't move on and I'll be able to get that nice home with you. Maybe then I'll be ready to be with you._

 _I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me._

 _Natsu_

Lucy could see his dried tears on the letter and her fresh ones making some of the ink start to run. She knew he had to do what was right for him.

She placed the letter in her nightstand drawer and sat next to the open window. She looked up at the night sky and knew that no matter where they were, she and Natsu would meet again. He would have new stories for her and she could tell him about her new stories.

Lucy wiped her tears, knowing that this wasn't goodbye. She felt the eerie feeling of loneliness creep back into her place. After shutting the window, Lucy prepared dinner.

 _ ***2 1/2 years later***_

"Lu, you're going to be late to your own book deal!"

Lucy grumbled as she heard her best friend, Levy, shout at her from the living room.

"Hey, it's not easy looking this good. This is my first book, I have to dress to impress!" Lucy ran a comb through her long hair once more before pulling it up in a ponytail. She walked out of the bathroom with her coat. Levy handed Lucy her bag as they headed to her car.

"You never did tell me who this book is about," levy said as she pulled onto the main street.

Lucy smiled as she touched the manuscript in her hand. "There was this boy I met who loves to lose himself in the world…"


End file.
